livvsmum

I lost 140 pounds with my surgery and then became severely anemic needing hospitalization. During this time I was not able to exercise and was too lethargic to really care about much, so I regained about 20 pounds. I went to see my weight management clinic physician and she prescribed me phentermine to "kick start" my weight loss. I've only been on it a month and I started with the very lowest dosage (15mg). I haven't had any negative side effects at all and have lost 7 pounds. I actually have my monthly check in with her and will likely increase dosage to 30mg since I've tolerated the lower dosage well.

Good luck to you! Never feel badly for taking your power back. It's the same exact situation for me.

I was 3 years post op in September of this year. As far as physical side-effects, I've had a pretty smooth journey. My b12 was a little low at first, which is pretty common. I had a couple of monthly injections for that and fine since then. Around 2.5 years post op, following my tummy tuck, I became severely anemic requiring blood and Iron transfusions. We can't say with certainty it was because of the sleeve , and honestly I think it was related more to blood loss during the tummy tuck surgery. That was probably the most serious of the complications. The only other thing was loose skin, and I was able to get my panni & TT covered by insurance for that. Positive side effects abound though!

That's great! You look amazing! I am also 3 years post op. I need to do an update post! :-)

I think it's normal for a little bit of "rebound" weight, but you're right to try and get it under control now. I find that when I stick to the super low carb and high Protein diet for a day then the next day I'm not as hungry. Carbs and sugar make me feel like I'm ravenous. It's a cycle.

My husband was unable to come to terms with my weight loss. I lost 140 pounds and he continually tried to undermine my efforts and became more and more obsessive and controlling as the weight came off. For us, the weight loss and the emotional power I took back (through lots and lots of therapy) threw off the power balance in our relationship and ultimately we were not able to work through it. I hope that you are able to work though it. Would he be willing to do therapy with you? Even with everything that's happened, I don't regret the surgery for a minute. It taught me a lot about myself and showed us some fatal faults in our relationship.

Thank you! It was so much fun and definitely not something I would have done before this!

It sounds like your doctor has good reason to make the recommendation he's making. You can definitely have equal success with either surgery. The surgery is a tool. The extent to which you are successful depends on your use of the tool. Don't give up! It's just a change in plans! Good luck!

You're absolutely right. That's also why you don't see as many "maintained weight loss for several years" posts. Once you kind of get past that rapid weight loss, everything kind of falls into a groove, and you don't really come back as often. Congrats on your experience thus far.

It's super easy. I started one at my first pre-op appt and have kept it going in the 3.5 years since then. You can check it out if you want...for ideas :-) It's themeiamnow.blogspot.com (also linked in my signature)

I have a blog that I started after my 1st pre-op appt in Jan. 2013 and I have updated it regularly since then. I'm SO glad I did it. Not only does it help immensely to go back and revisit the whole journey, but I've been contacted by countless others who have read my blog and been encouraged in one way or the other. It's also been a "safe place" for me to process some things and work through some things without talking to friends, family, etc who wouldn't necessarily understand.

@@livvsmum so many NSV's, so little time LOL vacation, great place to have new experiences,accomplishments (NSV's) for many/you/me, you gain confidence post op while you lose weight 2nd honeymoon, closing in on 3rd year surgiversary you look so happy 140 lbs gone! gone! and still gone you are aces!! keep up the good work i know you will kathy congrats Thank you! Thank you! It's encouraging to know people are checking it out! :-)

The fabulous thing about the sleeve is that it never goes away. Some may choose to ignore it and eat things we shouldn't be eating, but if you choose to abide by the nutritional guidelines, your sleeve will always work with you. It doesn't "go away" after 2-3 years. So, you are in charge of the extent of your success. If you stick with the program, you will be successful in the long-term. Some do regain after a couple of years though, and some never reach their ultimate goal. It's like anything else; it all depends on the amount of work you're willing to do. I'm 3 years post op and I've been at or below goal weight since about 10 months post op. So it is totally possible. But, I did a lot of hard work, both physically and emotionally. Good luck!

There were definitely a lot of milestones along the journey. To name a few of the ones I've passed: ~Not weighing more than my husband ~Getting under 200 pounds ~Being in single-digit sizes (down to a 4!!) ~Running a 1/2 marathon ~Riding all the roller coasters at the park with my kids without being afraid I wouldn't fit ~Fitting comfortably into an airplane seat ~Buying my first bikini ~Doing things I never would have done at my highest weight like paddle boarding & snorkeling.

Finally took a trip to Mexico with the hubby and rocked a bikini all week. I did things that were way out of my comfort zone like paddle boarding & snorkeling. So happy to have made these life choices with surgery, nutrition & exercise!

I'm sorry it's been a continual struggle for you, but you are definitely not alone! Something that's helped me immensely with the emotional eating part of it, "eating to fill a void" as you say, are the writings of Geneen Roth. If you haven't read them, I can't recommend them highly enough. I started with "When food is Love" and worked through "Women, Food, and God" (God in a "universal" sense, not a religious sense). I'm actually re-reading them now because I've been struggling a bit. It sounds like you've done a lot of work on yourself already. If you haven't read this, maybe they will help you in your journey. Are you pre-op or post-op? I would have LOVED to have read these books post op, but didn't find them until about 1 year after surgery. Good luck to you!

It's definitely still possible. You still have the same tool that helped you lose in the first place. Your mind sounds like it is in a different place, so getting at that might be the first place. Of course you can do it! You did it before, you still have the tool, and you know exactly how to do it. Just get back to the basics! :-)

That's awesome! Congrats on the journey so far! Good luck!

I did little things to reward myself along the way, a new wardrobe (this was more out necessity than anything), tummy tuck (when I reached and maintained my goal for 18 months), boudior pictures (at 2 years post op), and most recently I rewarded myself with the honeymoon my hubby and I never had! I put it off for 18 years because I didn't want to go when I was nearly 300 pounds. So to Celebrate 3 years post op at or below goal, we went to Mexico (lots of fun pics in my blog linked in my siggy). So, my rewards ranged from clothes to a trip, but I would just think about the things you've always wanted to do but didn't because of your weight and start there.

I think that when I first lost so much weight quickly, my husband experienced a little insecurity. I guess he thought I was maybe getting attention from men that I hadn't in the past and maybe I would want something different? After he realized that I essentially am the same person, just a healthier version of myself, things leveled out. If he's worried before you've even had the surgery, though, it would make me wonder if he's going to be supportive of you in your efforts? You definitely don't need someone sabotaging your efforts! Good luck!

My kiddos were 16, 13, 6, and 4 when I had my surgery. I worried a great deal because my 16 year old had in the past actually been hospitalized for an eating disorder (she's 6 years recovered now at the age of 19) and I worried a lot about how the rapid weight loss would affect her. So I was very honest with her about it and we talked a lot before I committed to do it. I didn't want to do it if it would have the slightest negative impact on her. I'm happy to say she's been encouraged by my journey to get healthy and it was a positive experience for all of us. So, to answer your question, I told my two teens what surgery I was having. They were part of the process. But it was always framed in the context of me getting healthy in the fastest way possible so I could live a long life with them. My younger 2 know that I had surgery, but I didn't give them specifics. Actually it's funny because now when they see older pictures of me, they recognize me, but my daughter says she doesn't remember that "version" of me. So they know I've been on a journey to get healthy,b ut I don't think at 4 and 6, they needed the details. Whatever you decided to do, just keep the communication open and you'll be fine! I mean, for sure your older child will notice the drastic change in your eating habits and your fast weight loss. You don't want them to feel as though you are hiding anything from the.

I'm sorry you had a bad time. Hopefully you can use that as motivation! It was originally a bad vacation experience that motivated to get my butt in gear and have the surgery. You might surprise yourself! If you have seen my before and after pictures, you can understand that I never would have imagined it either! Good luck to you! Thank you! Get somewhere fun this summer so you can Celebrate your success!! Thank you! :-) Aww...thank you! So sweet :-)

I suppose some may be able to handle "the old foods" in moderation, but I learned early on....about 7 months post-op....that's not me! Having something sugary, carby, etc can set off days or even weeks of bad eating. I was a food addict. When I open that door to let those same triggers back in, yeah....doesn't work. And you will find (as it sounds you have) that with time, you can eat pretty much anything and things that may have made you sick in the beginning don't now that you've healed completely. And yes. I actually have a friend who had her sleeve revised to a bypass, and she hasn't lost a single pound more. They are both tools. The key is in how you use your tool.

Thank you! You will, I am sure!!

I can't believe I'm coming up on 3 years post op in just a couple of months! Time flies! I just wanted to share some "non-scale victories" as I have more of those these days as the numbers get smaller. I'm not where I would love to be ideally. I have loose skin that I've come to terms with, and another 15 or so pounds to lose, but my husband and I recently went to Mexico for a vacation that I have been planning for what feels like forever and it was just crazy to me what a different experience it was for me to go 140 pounds lighter. I did things I never would have done like snorkeling, paddle boarding in front of strangers, Water zumba, etc. I got rid of all of those bathing suits with the skirts that I hated wearing so much & walked around in a bikini all week without feeling terribly self-conscious. I broke out of my comfort zone for sure, and had the most amazing time. I finally just felt "normal".... Just another experience to cross off my post-surgery bucket list. Here are a couple of sneak-peeks, but I posted my full "Top-10" list with a bunch more photos here if you are interested! http://themeiamnow.blogspot.com/